Life Sentences: Rage and Survival Behind Bars

While there are newer books on prison life, this is still one of the best. It gives a surprisingly balanced view of past and current treatment of prisoners and a good look at prisoners' lives from their own perspective.

This is a book every socially conscious American should read. A collection of works from the only uncensored prison newspaper in America, the award-winning "Angolite", this books encompasses everything from the mundane to the extraordinary, from the poignant to the horrifying realities of prison life. It covers both the fiscal concerns and the human issues involved in incarceration. I highly recommend it.

Rideau and Wikberg discuss the ways the prison system reinforces violence as a coping mechanism. Factual accounts of inmates' experiences are recounted in detail as examples to the author's theory, and observations of prison psychiatrists are presented in support of the authors' view. Out of deprivation and hopelessness, most inmates will neglect to work on those issues that would enable their successful rehabilitation, and it is easy to see why, in light of the harshness of prison life. The ways in which the system has inadvertently rewarded violent behavior throughout history is also evident, in spite of the many reforms that have been enacted. The message that we still have a long way to go is quite clear, as there really is no reprieve from the harshness of prison life. Until we begin to understand the reasons prisoners resist rehabilitation, we cannot even begin to solve the crime problem in America.